All in the same boat Father, son return home after passing the tests of trans-atlantic voyage

BANGOR – A trans-Atlantic voyage in a small sailing vessel can test one’s stamina, patience and ability to get along.

A father and son crew from Bangor, along with an assortment of additional mates, passed all those tests on May 14, completing the last leg of a journey that took them from Bangor to ports throughout Europe and back again over the course of two seasons of sailing.

Dan Cassidy, 58, and his son David, 23, left Bangor in May 2006 to start the voyage that would cover nearly 18,000 miles and take them to 10 different countries.

Built in 1961, Fleana is an older boat, and so the crew spent much time keeping an eye on all parts of the boat and making repairs, small and large, wooden and electrical.

The trip had a rough start, with the sailing vessel running into rough seas near Georges Bank that threw the force of the Atlantic across Fleana’s bow, damaging several of the boat’s wooden ribs and forcing a return to the John Williams boat yard on Mount Desert Island for repairs. Those were quickly done, and after five days, the Cassidys along with two additional crew members, were on their way again.

This time there was no turning back, and, once well off shore, the crew had to rely on themselves to repair everything from a clogged head to air in the fuel line.

For David Cassidy, that was part of the attraction of the trans-Atlantic sail.

“I like being offshore,” he said, “not being linked to something. Any problems, you just have to deal with it.”

Being able to spend time with his father was the highlight of the trip, he said.

“Being able to bond with dad was special,” he said. “We had some others along, but me and dad did the whole trip. Those long sails, just me and him – that was a big part of it.”

Their home was the boat during the trip, which on the return voyage included a 25-day stretch between ports, was the narrow 16-foot-long cabin, which provided tight quarters for two, three and sometimes four sailors. There was no refrigeration, and fresh foods, stocked at each port, lasted only about two weeks.

“You learn all the little things you need,” David said.

You also get creative making meals out of a can.

In a smaller boat, rotating watches have to keep an eye out for other, larger vessels and an ear out for the weather forecasts.

For those communications, they relied on a Ham radio contact with an inland operator who monitors weather conditions for mariners.

John Hackney of Orono, who joined the crew for the last leg of the journey at the British Virgin Islands, helped set up the Ham radio system and also kept in touch with Fleana during most of her journey.

“We tried to keep in touch with him from Orono,” Hackney said recently. “Sometimes we could hear them, but they couldn’t hear us. But we knew they were out there.”

The Ham radio also allowed Fleana’s crew to send e-mails, which sometimes were more reliable than voice communications. Those e-mails were a godsend for family members.

“We were getting some information,” said Deena Cassidy, Dan’s wife. “We knew things were going well, so I didn’t really worry.”

The trip, which took place over two sailing seasons, allowed for visits with family members at selected ports, and with family members living in Italy.

In addition, Fleana made an unofficial diplomatic mission with a stop in Bangor, Northern Ireland.

On board for the first part of the trip was Geoff Gratwick, a Bangor city councilor who had brought with him the key to the city of Bangor, Maine.

Fleana arrived in Northern Ireland on the day of Bangor’s annual Sea Festival, and, although Gratwick had returned home by that time, her crew presented the key to Irish officials. In return, they received a copy of the coat of arms of Bangor, Northern Ireland, which now hangs in City Hall in Bangor, Maine.

The crew of Fleana had fair and sometimes light winds for much of the westward journey, although they spent almost 12 hours hove-to in a gale of 45-knots before they could make their American landfall at New York City. A week after leaving New York, they arrived back in Bangor on May 14.

David will return to the University of Maine where he is working on a PhD in chemical engineering, and Dan said he is looking forward to returning to his gastroenterology practice in Bangor. The practice, he said, makes a point of allowing partners to do special things such as a trans-Atlantic voyage.

“It’s important to make time to do the things that are important,” he said. “And doing this was a once in a lifetime thing.”